Alex Hepburn: Cricket player raped sleeping woman amid WhatsApp ‘game’ after she had sex with teammate, court hears

Jurors told Worcestershire all-rounder attacked unconscious victim encouraged by sexual conquest challenge group chat

A county cricketer raped a sleeping woman after she had consensual sex with one of his teammates, a court has heard.

Worcestershire all-rounder Alex Hepburn is alleged to have attacked the woman in the dark following a night out in April 2017.

Jurors heard the victim had initially slept with the Australian’s teammate, Joe Clarke, and believed she was still in bed with the wicketkeeper, who had left the room to be sick.

Opening the case, Miranda Moore QC said the woman had sex with 23-year-old because she believed he was “the man she fell asleep with” and was left horrified when she realised he was not Mr Clarke.

Ms Moore told Worcester Crown Court on Monday the victim had woken up to find Hepburn performing a sex act on her, only realising he was a different man when she touched his hair and then heard his Australian accent.

Describing the aftermath of the alleged attack, the prosecutor told the jury: “Immediately she pulls away, she says ‘Where’s Joe?’.

“Hepburn says to her ‘You are beautiful’ and tries to encourage her to continue having sex with him but she is having absolutely none of it.”

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told Hepburn he was a “sick bastard” and phoned a friend to tell her about the incident, the court heard.

Jurors were told Hepburn had been part of a WhatsApp “stat chat” group, which had been set up to record details of women its members had slept with.

Ms Moore said the group contained discussions of “freshies” and “re-heats”, alleged to refer to whether or not members had previously had sex with a woman.

The court heard the group had a series of rules, including requests for “every freshie” to be “rated out of 10”, with the stipulation the “winner” of the contest could gloat and enjoy a night out paid for by other members.

“From the prosecution point of view it may well be that what was on this defendant's phone will help you in deciding what he was up to that night,” Ms Moore told jurors.

“It detailed the game that these young men engaged in and intended to follow. This game had precious little to do with cricket.

“The ‘score’ that he hoped to make may well help you in the explanation as to what he was doing to her.

“He saw that girl asleep in the bed and decided to take advantage. That is what this case is about, this defendant's attitude to women.”

A police interview conducted with the alleged victim shortly after the offence was played to the jury during Monday's evidence.

In the video, the woman told a police officer she had assumed she was having sex with Mr Clarke, who was of a similar height and build, before “panic set in” when she saw Hepburn.

“I said you have just had sex with me whilst I was asleep,” she told the interviewing officer. “I couldn't believe what had just happened.”

Hepburn, of Portland Street, Worcester, denies two counts of rape, claiming the alleged victim was awake and that initial kissing led to consensual sexual contact.

The trial continues.

Additional reporting by PA